Career Progression is a process by which Supervisors can nominate employees to progress within their current position, due to increased job proficiency and/or relevant professional development.

Employees can be nominated to progress through three ranks: Proficient → Advanced → Expert

Employees are hired at the Proficient rank. If their position is reclassified to a higher level or they accept a new position, they will return to the Proficient rank. The salary increases for progression from Proficient to Advanced is $1,000. The salary increase for progression from Advanced to Expert is $1,500. These salary increases are independent of any merit awards that may be made through Article 32, Salary. Salary increase for progression will be subject to fiscal constraints, and resulting salaries will not exceed the salary band maximum.

Employees progress through the three ranks by demonstrating their level of competency in their position related to the University’s mission, the position’s Occupational Group and Job Specification.

Supervisors will develop a Career Progression Framework that will outline the required behaviors, capabilities, understanding, and/or expertise for each competency at each rank for the employee’s position.

The Framework will list all competencies required for the position; provide a competency statement for each rank within each competency, detailing what is required to achieve that rank; and provide a clear and defined path of progression from Proficient, to Advanced, to Expert within that position.

A Framework is required for each position and must be submitted and approved by Human Resources before a Supervisor can nominate an employee for Career Progression.

Supervisors can nominate an employee based on the observation of their work and by submitting the Career Progression Nomination Form.

To be eligible to be nominated for progression to a new rank once a supervisor has evaluated and determined an employee has demonstrated achievement of all competencies for that rank, employees must have:

1. An up-to-date and approved Job Specification on file with Human Resources.
2. An approved Career Progression Framework on file with Human Resources.
3. Received an overall rating of Good or better on their most recent performance evaluation.
4. Successfully completed their initial probationary period.
5. Served at least one year in the same position and job template at the rank of Proficient before applying to move to Advanced.
6. Served at least two years in the same position and job template at the rank of Advanced before applying to move to Expert.

Please note: Eligibility is one step in determining nomination. As stated above, supervisors will make the determination for nomination through observation and measurement if the employee has demonstrated achievement of all competencies for the specified rank.

Employees are hired at the Proficient rank.

Eligibility will be based on years in current position as of June 30th and December 31st, respectively.

Employees return to the Proficient rank if their position is reclassified to a higher level or if they accept a new position. Lateral moves in the same job template within a unit retain their current rank.

Lateral reclassifications to a new job template will be reviewed on a case by case for determination if rank will be retained.

Employees can be nominated to progress through three ranks: Proficient → Advanced → Expert

In order for Supervisors to determine if an employee should be nominated to the next rank, it is important to understand how each rank can apply to an employee and to a competency.

Proficient is an employee that:

• Is able to perform the duties of the position effectively.
• May need assistance in developing the competencies to advance to next rank.
• Applies the competency in routine situations and requires guidance in unique and difficult situations.
• Focuses on development through on-the-job experience.
• Understands and can discuss terminology, concepts, principles, and issues related to the competency.

Advanced is an employee that:

• Can usually develop the competency independently.
• Applies the competency in unique and difficult situations.
• Focuses on broad unit/department issues.
• Understands and can discuss the competency and implication of changes to processes, policies, and procedures in the unit/department.
• Provides practical/relevant ideas and perspectives on process or policy improvements which may easily be implemented.

Expert is an employee that:

• Has developed and demonstrated all the actions associated with this competency.
• Applies the competency in considerably unique and difficult situations.
• Has a strategic focus.
• Is considered the subject matter expert in the unit/department for that competency.
• Provides guidance, troubleshooting, and answers questions related to their area of expertise and/or the field where the competency is used.

Competencies are the behaviors, capabilities, understanding, and expertise that contribute to professional growth and development within a position. Specifically:

• Behavior is the observable reaction of an individual to a certain situation.
• Capability is an innate potential to perform mental and physical actions or tasks.
• Understanding is information developed or learned through experience, study, or investigation.
• Expertise is the result of repeatedly applying understanding or capability.

Employees progress through the three ranks by demonstrating their level of competency related to the University’s mission, as well as their Occupational Group and Job Specification.

Universal Competencies:
Universal Competencies are competencies that are related to the University’s mission. These competencies are required for all employees, regardless of position or job template. More information regarding the University’s mission can be found on the Board of Trustees website.

Core Competencies per Occupational Group:
Occupational Group Competencies are competencies that are related to the Occupational Group that the employee’s job template falls under. Each Occupational Group has a list of competencies that all job templates under that group will be required to be used on the Career Progression Framework. The required competencies for each Occupational Group can be found on the Competency Library. If you do not know what Occupational Group your employee’s job template falls under, please refer to the Job Template Library on the Career Paths website for more information.

Additional Professional Competencies:
In addition to the required competencies, Managers will also select Professional Competencies for those job templates in a Professional Category (P1-P7). The Professional Competencies should be related to the employee’s Job Specification and/or specific discipline for their position.

Additional Manager Competencies:
For job templates that are in a Manager Category (M5-M8), Supervisors will select Manager Competencies in addition to the required competencies. Manager Competencies should be related to the employee’s role of providing a combination of supervision/management over a department charged with providing a variety of cross-disciplinary services.

Competency Library:
Human Resources has developed broad definitions of each competency and measurable and observable competency statements for each competency across all three ranks. These should be used to aid in the development of drafting the competency statements, to generate thought about how the competency can be displayed within a position and/or assist in describing the various behaviors, capabilities, understanding and/or expertise required for the classification. These are intended to be useful as a reference and are not an exhaustive list. The competencies and competency statements can be found on the Competency Library.
 

CREATING THE FRAMEWORK:

The Career Progression Framework outlines the required behaviors, capabilities, understanding, and/or expertise for each competency at each rank for the employee’s position.

An effective Career Progression Framework will:

1. List all competencies that are required for the employee’s position.
2. Provide a competency statement for each rank within each competency, detailing what is required to achieve that rank.
3. Provide a clear and defined path of progression from Proficient, to Advanced, to Expert within that position.

It is important to understand that the Career Progression Framework should NOT be:

• A performance evaluation. Career Progression is not a means to formally assess the employee's performance. In this regard, it does not replace the performance evaluation process.
• A way to clarify or revise a Job Specification or Template. If a Job Specification or Template does not accurately describe the duties performed, this is a matter for the manager and Human Resources to discuss.
• A guarantee of a reclassification to a new job template. Career Progression can help prepare an employee to become qualified for a new job template, but does not guarantee advancement.

To aide Supervisors in developing the Career Progression Framework, Human Resources has developed broad definitions of each competency and measurable and observable competency statements for each competency across all three ranks, which can be found in the Competency Library. In addition, Supervisors may view the Tutorials and Training or Supervisor Guide for Creating the Career Progression Framework as resources to aid in creating the frameworks.

As the nature of the work or the goals of the unit or position changes, Supervisors should update and revise the Career Progression Framework.